Future leaders of the local pork industry

FAIRFIELD — Jefferson County is home to many teens and young adults who have made their mark in the hog industry.

At Fairfield High School, at least five students work part-time with the pigs before and after school and on weekends. They perform household chores such as vaccinating pigs, loading them, caring for the sick, and cleaning barns. All of these FHS students who work with pigs are part of the Fairfield FFA chapter and are looking forward to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis October 23-25.

FHS student Wyatt Lovelady said he started working in the hog barns owned by Jacob Adam and his father, which gave him the opportunity to work for other hog producers.

What does Wyatt like most about working with pigs?

“Money,” he said. “It’s not always consistent work, but it’s a good opportunity to learn and meet other people.”

FHS student Ryder Robertson said he has worked with pigs almost his entire life, ever since he was a little boy.

“I’ve always been in pig pens,” he said.

Robertson was asked what part of the job was the most difficult.

“If you have sick pigs, it’s no fun,” he said.

Jacob Adam said it is common practice to change shoes and coveralls between barns to avoid disease transmission from one barn to another. FHS student Brock Metz added that if there is a sick animal in one of the barns, they always visit it last during their rounds.

Brock started working with pigs three years ago thanks to Ryder’s father.

“I help load, vaccinate and do all the work that needs to be done,” he said.

Jacob said that a typical pig barn houses 2,400 pigs and that it takes about 45 minutes to properly inspect the animals, which means keeping an eye on their food, water, cleanliness and making sure no one is sick any of them.

“Almost everything is automated,” Jacob said. “Feeding is automated. Ventilation is automated. Every time the barn warms up a degree, a new fan comes on.”

Jacob said the barns will be automatically cooled as the pigs age. For newborn piglets, the temperature in the barn is set at 80 degrees. By the time the pigs left the barn, the temperature had dropped to 64 degrees.

“In the summer there is no air conditioning, but there is very good ventilation,” Jacob said. “In an average barn, air is recycled every 25 to 30 seconds. The air moves so fast. When it’s 90 degrees outside, it’s nicer in the barn than outside because there’s so much air movement.”

Jacob worked with pigs for 12 years, although he did not grow up with them. His father was a farmer and Jacob wanted to farm too, but he needed to start with a less expensive operation first and that is why he decided to start raising pigs.

“I wanted to go into farming, and this was a way to go into farming and have a stable income,” he said. “A lot of people wanted to get into farming, and raising and caring for pigs was a way for them to earn a paycheck when they started row crop farming. Manure is a great fertilizer and saves us from having to buy it commercially.”

Cameron and Calvin McClain are brothers who attend Fairfield High School and have long worked with pigs. Cameron said he started working in pig pens at the age of 6 and by the age of 12 he was cleaning pig pens. He also handles other tasks such as loading and vaccinating pigs.

“Everything took off from then on,” he said. “I know that. I think it’s fun and it pays well.”

Of the four high school students The Union spoke with for this article, all said they wanted a career in agriculture. Jacob explained that the capital-intensive nature of the business makes it difficult to enter and exit, so those trying it out by purchasing a building must make a commitment.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at [email protected].